Penn State’s Saquon Barkley wins 2017 Silver Football

Saquon Barkley was named the winner of the 2017 Silver Football, the Big Ten MVP award, on Thursday. Penn State’s star running back beat out Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor for the honor.

The Silver Football is handed out by the Chicago Tribune and voted on by Big Ten coaches. Barkley received nine of a possible 13 first-place votes for the honor (head coaches can not vote for their own player), while Barrett collected three first-place votes. Barrett and Barkley shared the Silver Football honor in the 2016 season.

Barkley, who was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year by both the conference and the Associated Press, was the country’s most-exciting player for a good portion of the 2017 season. Barkley finished the 2017 season with 1,134 rushing yards, 594 receiving yards and was accountable for 22 touchdowns (16 rushing, 3 receiving, 2 kick returning and 1 passing).

More than for the numbers, Barkley’s 2017 season will be remembered for the highlights, which include a jaw-dropping hurdle against Iowa, a 69-yard run for a touchdown on the second play against Michigan and an kick return touchdown to start the game against Ohio State.

Barkley was not named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, but he did also win the Paul Hornung Award on Wednesday.